"I told you, all you need to do is stand still and behave. The only thing I'm tasked to protect is this man's life. As for the blueprint... what do I care about it?"
Shadow Fiend laughed heartily. While controlling Marco, he put on a performance, making it look as though a fierce struggle for control over the body was taking place.
What he had promised the man in the peaked cap was simply safe passage to leave. And "safety" certainly didn't extend to keeping the blueprint secure.
Why would he ever protect the blueprint anyway?
Phantom's true goal from the start was to let the blueprint get out into the open — the more people fighting over it, the better.
Shadow Fiend would have to be an idiot to actually guard that thing.
Even now, he was just going through the motions, waiting for Issho to step in and wipe out the entire Moonlight Pirates crew.
"This really is... completely baffling."
Issho, who had remained motionless all this time, suddenly twirled his sword in a fluid, practiced motion.
"Just what exactly is your Phantom organization really after?"
Perhaps because he could not see with his eyes, he was all the more sensitive to the strange and contradictory nature of the situation.
...
Leaving this stalemate aside, we move to another location inside District 1, not far from the boundary with District 2.
Here, in a grassy clearing, Crocodile and his two companions stood warily, facing the figure that had just appeared before them.
It was a man wearing a long pink feathered coat, with a katana at his waist.
He walked with a distinctive swagger, and half of his face was covered by a bony mask.
"Doflamingo?" Crocodile stared at him grimly.
"Damn it!" Moria's expression turned dark and ugly. "He tracked us down this fast!"
"A Warlord of the Sea..."
Even Ivankov, though relatively calm, looked serious and tense.
"Fufufu... Donquixote Doflamingo? No, no, that man is already dead. The person you knew is gone. I am the reborn Heavenly Yaksha, member of the Arrancar Army, Espada Number 10!"
Doflamingo let out his signature cackle, his gaze fixed firmly on Ivankov.
"Relax, I'm not here to hunt you two down. My only goal is to retrieve the blueprint."
Of course, this was just something he said to mislead them.
He knew Phantom's true objective, and he knew exactly what he was supposed to do: simply expose the existence of the blueprint to everyone.
The easiest way to achieve that was to chase these three men, forcing them to flee frantically. Naturally, that would draw attention instantly.
With all the major factions on high alert right now, any sign of movement was like blood in the water — the sharks would swarm in immediately.
Hearing his words, Ivankov's expression soured instantly. "Crocodile-boy, it seems the time for you to repay your favor has come sooner than expected, hiyah!"
"What?"
"Dragon gave that blueprint to me. I must deliver it to Whitebeard just as I was ordered. You two hold him off for me, hiyah!"
Ivankov's eyes widened, then blinked rapidly over and over again, dozens of times in a split second.
"Death Wink!"
The rapid blinking generated a massive explosive force.
However, instead of blasting directly at Doflamingo, Ivankov used the recoil from the blast to propel himself backward, hurling his body dozens of meters away in an instant.
"Damn it! He ran away!" Moria was furious. That guy really couldn't be relied upon at all.
"Fufufu..."
Doflamingo laughed loudly. He was in absolutely no hurry; instead, he slowly drew the blade from his waist.
"I have just obtained a brand new power, and you two make for perfect test subjects. My apologies, fellow former Warlords, but it's time for you to die... Resurrección! Sever them — Divine Punishment Threads!"
The moment the release command was spoken, a terrifying spiritual pressure surged straight toward the heavens.
BOOM!
To release the sword was to release the full extent of one's power.
Doflamingo's pink feather coat fluttered wildly. His spiritual pressure exploded outward, condensing into countless threads and filaments that twisted and wove together, eventually forming six massive strands.
These six golden threads, as thick as a man's arm, sprouted from his back like divine wings, floating and fluttering with impossible lightness.
Doflamingo rose into the air and hovered there, suspended in mid-air.
"This is true power! This is the power granted to me by Emperor Vladimir! Fufufu... Now, run for your lives while you still can!"
...
"Fufufu... Run for your lives while you still can!"
Doflamingo hovered in the sky, laughing wildly and arrogantly.
He was completely intoxicated by his newfound power, unable to contain his excitement.
This was a power unlike anything found in Devil Fruits, unlike Haki or physical arts — it was a power derived directly from the very soul.
Six long, golden wings fluttered gently, appearing soft as silk and smooth as satin.
These wings were composed of countless invisible strands of spiritual energy.
His Resurrección ability had evolved and transformed his original String-String Fruit powers into something far greater.
As such, using it felt completely natural to him; he had mastered almost every aspect of it instantly.
Down below, Crocodile and Moria stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with sheer disbelief.
"What the hell?! What kind of move is this?!"
Moria's face turned pitch black. Without even thinking twice, he turned around and bolted. "Crocodile, you go test him out first!"
With that, he sprinted away at top speed.
Just recently, he had been tied up and exposed to the sun for two whole months, yet his movements were incredibly fast right now — clearly driven by sheer survival instinct and desperation.
Seeing this, Crocodile's expression hardened. "Doflamingo... have you willingly become Phantom's dog?!"
"A dog?"
Far from being angered, Doflamingo laughed even harder. "Fufufu... The Golden Lion was the dog. I have successfully joined Phantom as an outer-circle member! You people have no idea just how terrifying Phantom truly is. You think the Ten Supreme Rulers are all there is to it? No, not even close! What you have seen is merely the tip of the iceberg!"
With nothing more than the Hōgyoku, Aizen had effortlessly granted him this immense power. It excited him beyond measure, while at the same time shaking him to his core.
This was the work of a God!
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